The Thomas More College women’s soccer team has debuted at No. 8 in the first National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason poll.
The Saints, under the direction of 10th-year head coach Jeff Cummings, finished the 2014 campaign with a 23-2 overall record and a 9-0 mark in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC). They earned the PAC’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Championship after securing the league’s regular-season championship and the winning the program’s fourth-straight PAC Championship Tournament title.
Last season the Saints advanced to their first Division III Championship sectional final and finished the year ranked ninth. It was Thomas More’s fifth overall appearance in the Division III Championship.
Highlighting the Saints’ returners are senior defender Abby Osborne (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) and senior forward Olivia Huber (Woodlawn, Ky./Newport Central Catholic), who were both named to the 2014 NSCAA/Continental Tire Women’s All-America Team.
Osborne was a first team selection while Huber earned second team honors.
Osborne helped anchor a Saints’ defense that posted 21 shutouts and allowed only four goals on 90 total shots in 2014. She also scored four goals a year ago. The defense set school records for shutouts (21) and consecutive shutouts (13).
Huber, the 2014 PAC Player of the Year, led all of Division III in scoring with 89 points and 36 goals, while her 17 assists ranked fourth nationally. She owns Thomas More records for career goals (74), career points (178), single-season goals (36), single-season assists (17) and single-season points (89).
Thomas More opens its season on Tuesday, Sept. 1 when it hosts Wittenberg University at 5 p.m. at BB&T Field.
From Thomas More Athletics